Page 5 of Shielded Hearts

The travel agent’s eyes flared wide with panic.

“If I can’t get out of this, neither can you.” She kind of deserved it for sticking around so long when she wasn’t invited.

Colt took off across the floor, performing the steps that weren’t much different from line dancing. And he’d done plentyof that in honkytonks while in basic training. Back when he didn’t mind being part of society.

He grabbed his partner’s hand.

The travel agent dragged her feet and gave her head a wild shake. Dark, thick curls bounced on her shoulders. “I can’t do this dance!”

“If I’m doing it, you’re doing it. Come on.” He dragged her through several more steps. Turning his head, he pierced her in his stare. “I’m not one to mince words. Why are you still here?”

She fumbled through a few steps while watching other dancers around her so she could follow. “I don’t have a ride. Someone from town brought me to the ranch and dropped me off.”

Christ.

“I could have sent someone to meet you at the airport to get the portfolio. You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

She shouted at him over the loud music. “I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

“Being an uninvited guest isn’t bothersome?”

Someone careened into him. Colt looked over to see his oldest brother Carson dancing like he had two left feet.

“Sorry, bro.” Carson looked past Colt at the travel agent. “Who’s your date? She’s cute.”

“She’s not my date. She’s the travel agent.”

The woman—what the hell was her name again? Aspen something. Grace. Aspen Grace. The name sounded made up to him.

She issued a huff of anger. “I’m not an agent. I’m a travel concierge!”

Colt leveled her with a what-the-fuck look.

She narrowed her green eyes in a glare and then spun on her high heels and stalked off the dance floor.

Good riddance.

Except she still didn’t have a way off the ranch.

He started after her, but Carson tapped him on the shoulder. “Time for the toast!”

Motherfucking hell. Could this best man gig get any worse?

The terrible dance ended, and the wedding party made their way to the head table. Shiloh was radiant after dancing, and Oaks was grinning from ear to ear. He’d never actually seen his brother so happy.

No pressure to deliver the best toast ever or anything.

Too bad he didn’t have anything prepared and would be winging it.

How hard could it be? As a Navy SEAL, he improvised on ops all the time. This should be easy.

He grabbed a flute of champagne and raised it in toast to the newlyweds and then faced the wedding guests.

His stare landed on Aspen positioned at the front of the crowd.

He arched a brow at her, and she gave him a wide-eyed go-fuck-yourself look as she held her own champagne flute aloft.

He ran his tongue over his lips. “Good evening, everyone. On behalf of Shiloh and Oaks Malone, I’d love to thank you for sharing this very special day. After all, how many times is Oaks going to get married? I mean…this was the second. To the same woman.”

---